Traditions
by softer
Summary: A Christmas Fic in July. My muse works in strange ways.


**AN: okay, prepare yourself here. This is a oneshot here, just a little exercise to get me back into prime writing shape for my next fic ;D I have a big one on the way, and that's all I'm telling on the matter. This an is important to read- prepare yourself for some intense Christmas in July. **

**I have this idea stowed away for a while, and inspiration strikes at the strangest times, because in the middle of the blistering hot summer, I had a desperate urge to write a winter fic. So here we go- put on your holiday jingles and get yourself in a new-york (winter) state of mind. Sorry. I couldn't resist it. **

**Sorry if it's too random for you guys. My creative flow disagrees with the seasons. Oh well.**

* * *

**Traditions**

Kate blinked a few times, opening her first time that morning. She let her eyes adjust slowly to the little twilight streaming in from the open window of the bedroom, rubbing the sleep from them as she stretched, pandiculation in full effect. Almost instinctively her arm reached out to the side to wake her bed partner, only to find she was patting at air. His absence wasn't expected, and she turned over to see, her eyes proving that he had, in fact, risen. The warmth his body left on the bed sheets still lingered, along with the scent that always would, and she knew he had been there not too long ago. She rubbed her eyes again, rising, throwing her legs over the side of the bed with effort, reluctant to leave the warmth the comforter provided. Her bare feet hit the hardwood floor, the coolness making her toes curl inwards reflexively. She reached for the large, heather grey Columbia hoodie draped over a nearby chair and slipped it on. It fell over her small frame a few sizes too big, but she just collected the excess sleeve in her fists and crossed her arms, toes still curled as she made her way out of the room. Through the white snow that had settled itself in the sill of the large window, she could tell day had yet to break and the snowfall yet to let up. She didn't have to look at the clock to guess it was a little after 5 in the morning, and she thanked her internal alarm clock for that as she crept down the stairs, careful not to make a sound.

Light was reflecting from the living room below- she noted the orange glow from atop the stairs, and as she made her way down, the glimmer grew until she was looking directly into the room below. She stopped and sat on maybe the sixth floor down- the stair where the downstairs came into full view. She drew her knees to her chest and tucked the loose hem of the sweater under her toes to warm them as she took in the scene.

There was the kitchen, still cloaked in black, and then there was the living room. The sole light came from thousands of little LED bulbs decorating the evergreen that stood, large and proud, where the entertainment center would normally sit. Other trinkets decorated the live green tree, including but not limited to tinsel, glass bulbs and a large assortment of homemade ornaments. It was real- the wonderful smell that had permeated the air of the entire apartment, not to mention the millions of little pine needles that managed to get everywhere- proved as much. Castle had insisted on going out twelve nights ago to pick one out.

"_It's a tradition," Rick explained to her one morning. "Lex, Mother, and I do it every year."_

"_It sounds like fun, Castle," Kate told him. Well, she directed the comment to her half-eaten bowl of Cheerios, but he was the only other obvious audience. And she meant it. His life, his family, his traditions- they all seemed so amazing. Personal. Soft, almost. Like a tender thing she feared she could break._

"_It is," He told her, lost for a moment in memories. It was then he grabbed her hand across the table. "Come with us," he said. It was more or less a question. _

"_Castle," she began. She was surprised by the offer, although she really shouldn't have been. She _had _been living with them for the past few months. "That's a family thing, I can't just-"_

"_That's kind of the point, Kate," he told her, cutting her excuse short. "It _is _a family thing." Another moment of heavy silence, coupled with an even, searching stare, prompted him to speak again. "Mother is spending Christmas with Chet on that Tropical cruise, and it's a three-person sort of thing. Someone has to help Alexis carry the tree home, she can't very well do it herself," he reasoned, earning a much-sought after smile from Kate._

"_Is she okay with it?" She asked, trying not to sound too vulnerable. _

"_She's the one who suggested it," he told her, relieving her main concern. She looked into his large, hopeful puppy eyes a moment longer before nodding. _

"_Okay." The smile those syllables elicited was like nothing in the world, and within the minute he had set a date and had Alexis on the phone. A few days later, they were trekking through the snow-covered streets of the city in search of the perfect tree. It took them three hours and a trip to seven different Tree Farms to find it, but they did. Both big and little Castle's Christmas cheer was contagious and Kate couldn't even pretend to be annoyed. They walked everywhere, including home- Castle claimed it was 'part of the experience,' something Alexis nodded incessantly at. When they found the perfect tree- a decent seven footer with the greenest pines she had ever seen- he wrapped it up in the red net they give you and tugged it along behind them as they began the journey home, Kate on his free arm and Alexis on Kate's. _

_And as Kate walked- feet throbbing and frozen to the bone, she could honestly say she was happy. The blissful, never-ending sort of happy. Alexis had both of her arms wrapped around the Detective, searching for warmth, as the Detective herself reached towards Rick for the same warmth, and she was honestly happy._

* * *

She snapped back to the moment at hand, the residue of a smile left behind by the memory. It seemed like a million years, but they finally got that tree home. And then in the building. And then into the apartment itself- but that was a story all its own. Kate did some rough mental math. Three hours, seven stores, and 47 blocks, 6 elevator rides and a generous tip to the bellboy later, there it stood, in all its glory. It was gorgeous, too. Rick spared no dime in decorating it, either. Another 'part of the experience,' she supposed. He had insisted both she and Alexis take the whole day off to dress the thing.

"_It's beautiful as it is, sure," he explained. "But's it's naked. It needs its ice. Its bling."_

"_Okay, okay. I will help if you promise to never use the words 'ice' or 'bling' ever again," she folded, seating herself cross-legged in front of the tree, reaching into a nearby box and retracting a glass orb._

"_No promises, Detective," he told her, grinning, but mirrored her position, pulling an ornament out as well. "Oh, this one is my favorite." Kate looked up to see him holding a handmade craft. It was a cardboard cutout of a gingerbread man, complete with real multi-colored gumdrop buttons glued on with a think concoction of Elmer's and black button eyes. "Alexis made it when she was in the first grade."_

"_I don't know why," Alexis said, as she draped a long string of gold tinsel along the evergreen's long limbs. "But he insists on keeping every single one of those God-awful ornaments."_

"_They are cute," Castle defended, hurt by his daughter's flippancy towards the subject. "When you're a parent, you will understand."_

"_He's right you know," Kate told Alexis. "My mother refused to throw a single one away. My dad still hangs them every year." She shared the personal detail without really thinking, and then after a moment she realized how open she left herself. She just opened a door wide open and didn't think twice. The door Castle normally had to kick down. There was a millisecond of silence as they absorbed the weight of her words before Rick fell seamlessly back into conversation. _

"_Oh, look!" he held up a tiny sock. "Your first baby Christmas booty!" Alexis blushed but managed to roll her eyes at her father's…fatherly-ness. _

"_Don't worry about it, Lex," Kate assured her. "It's practically in his job description as a dad to gush. It won't go away, not ever."_

"_Yeah, well I can hope." The teen muttered, good naturedly. _

"_Think of it this way- it could be worse. He could be breaking out the picture album with all your naked baby photos."_

"_The only reason he hasn't yet is cause I hid it after my last date," Alexis informed her. The three settled in an easy air of merriment, decorating the tree to the sultry sounds of Nat King Cole._

**

* * *

**

Kate admired the tree a moment longer. It had taken them all day and a whole lot of coffee to decorate the whole thing, but they had finally finished, and the sight of the lit up wonder was worth every minute.

Rick was in the living room, bustling about. He had his office door propped wide open as he brought large boxes wrapped in decorative paper from the room and set them under the tree. She watched as he considered the best place for each present to go, debating on what would look best. When at last he settled on an arrangement and moved on to another box, she smiled silently and shook her head. It was very Castle of him, the whole Christmas thing. She stood from her position on the stair, continuing her decent until the cold hardwood floor reminded her she was missing socks. On her way to Castle she noted the full plate of cookies and untouched glass of milk still sitting on the counter.

"Merry Christmas," he greets, his voice soft, hushed. There is this atmosphere of quit that her of them are willing to break. She smiles a warm smile she didn't bother repressing and steps into his arms as a greeting. She just lets him hold her- standing there, in nothing but baggy sweats and his hoodie, her bare toes just barely overlapping his warm socked ones. Her fingers press lightly into his back, kneading little patterns there, and she breaths in the _him _that he wears so nicely.

"Merry Christmas." It's so soft he barely hears it and it's muffled from the layer of sweater but he does and it's so cute. If he had things his way, she would always wear his clothes and her hair in that just-slept-in up-do. She would never where make up or shoes or socks, and she would never leave her current position in his arms.

Of course, things weren't going to be his way, but he could live with hers. When at last he brought himself to pull away, he planted a kiss on her temple, lacing his fingers with hers and pulling her towards the tree without a word.

They sat, she following his lead, and that's when she saw it. The train. It was a miniature little model train running a circular track around the tree. It was new to her- he must have set it out that morning because she had never seen it before. She looked from the train to Rick, the question unspoken but asked all the same. After a moment, he answered.

"My mother gave this train to me the night before Alexis's first Christmas. Meredith wasn't in the picture at that point- she had gotten a job offer for some indie film shooting in California, and-" Castle stopped short before deciding not to peruse that line of storytelling. "She wasn't ready for a kid, you know?" Kate merely nodded. "My mom wanted me to start off right- with something old to go along with my new life. New kid, new home, a relatively new career." The train made another lap around the tree.

"It's very nice," Kate spoke at last, when she realized he was done talking.

"I'm surprised it still runs," he admitted. It came around for a third time and he stuck his hand out to stop it.

It was then she saw it. Dangling from the small smoke stack on the engine train.

It was silver, with a thin, lightweight band and a diamond on top. Decent size rock, but nothing too flashy. Just perfect, she decided. He lifted it off the train with two fingers, delicately, and held it out in front of her. He sucked his bottom lip between his front teeth and waited in silence. Neither of them spoke for a long time.

He was quite possibly the cutest thing she ever laid eyes on in that moment. This time it was him that was raw and open and vulnerable. "Four words, Castle," she finally broke the heavy silence, when it became clear he wouldn't. "You can do it."

"Will you marry me?" It's a whisper but she hears it as if he yelled it in her ear. Years. Years of friendship leading to this. Two weeks ago, she was nervous about picking out a Christmas tree.. Now there was no hesitation. No nervousness, no pause.

It was then she reached across the invisible barrier separating them and let him slip the ring on.

"Yes. Yes I will."

It's 15 minutes later when they are stretched out on the couch. "Beating the Christmas rush,' was his excuse, but between the three Christmas morning attendees there wasn't high traffic warnings in the forecast. Truthfully they weren't quite ready to leave each other, not even long enough to brave the brief journey to their bedroom. He was behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist and burying his nose in her hair. He loved it there, he decided. He planted a kiss on the back of her neck as they shared muffled words. This, that, the other thing. Nonsense, really. It wasn't what was spoken that mattered.

"Aren't you going to eat the cookies and drink the milk?" Kate asked, suddenly, recalling the untouched display in the kitchen.

"No, silly," her fiancés reply came. "Those are for Santa." Kate just smiled and chose to accept this, and they both fell into a light sleep, morning just around the corner.

**

* * *

**

It was maybe six in the morning when she opened her eyes a crack to see Alexis creeping down the stairs. She watched through lidded lashes as the girl tip-toed into the kitchen, taking the cookies off the counter and eating them one by one. She took a bite out of the last one and put it back, unfinished, no doubt for effect, before downing three quarters of the milk. She wiped her mouth, replaced the dishes, and made her way back upstairs. In a fleeting thought she wondered if Alexis did that every year.

In the next she thought if she would do it next year.  
And then she smiled at the realization that in 365 days, she would get to find out.


End file.
